A Grain of Salt: The Science and Pseudoscience of What We Eat

by Joe Schwarcz

Overview

“This enlightening collection offers every reader something new to learn and marvel over.” — Booklist

Bestselling popular science author Dr. Joe Schwarcz debunks the baloney and serves up the raw facts in this appetizing collection about the things we eat

Eating has become a confusing experience. Should we follow a keto diet? Is sugar the next tobacco? Does fermented cabbage juice cure disease? Are lectins toxic? Is drinking poppy seed tea risky? What’s with probiotics? Can packaging contaminate food? Should our nuts be activated? What is cockroach milk?

We all have questions, and Dr. Joe Schwarcz has the answers, some of which will astonish you. This collection is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger for palatable and relevant scientific information as Dr. Joe separates fact from fiction with an assortment of new and updated articles about what to eat, what not to eat, and how to recognize the scientific basis of food chemistry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770414754
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Edition description:	No Edition
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, dedicated to demystifying science and separating sense from nonsense. He is a popular lecturer, both to students and to the larger public. He hosts The Dr. Joe Show on Montreal radio and is the author of 16 bestselling titles. Dr. Joe lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Editorial Reviews

08/05/2019

Schwarcz (A Feast of Science), a radio show host and science writer, spools out answers to mostly basic questions about diet and nutrition. In a quippy writing style, he evaluates the pros and cons of various practices—for example, eating beef—and offers such solutions as, in the case of whether to consume beef, choosing beans, nuts, algae, or even insects as alternative protein sources. Other topics he covers include the dangers of weight-loss supplements, the risks of eating poppy seeds, the cold-fighting properties of vitamin C, the ambiguity of the “organic” label, and the debate around sugar’s healthiness. There is no logical grouping or flow to the chapters, and the text can be repetitive, such as about the marketing hype around antioxidants or, perhaps surprisingly, the dangers of eating cantaloupes. Some of the subjects, such as the possibility of being poisoned from drinking a Moscow mule from a copper mug, or the “gustatory calamity” of wheatgrass enzyme juice, veer into the strange or comic—and in general, the more unlikely the topic, the more farcical Schwarcz’s tone becomes. Readers hoping for light laughs should enjoy this book, though perhaps not those seeking a comprehensive health resource. Agent: Robert Lecker, Robert Lecker Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Schwarcz’s light touches of humor make the scientific information feel accessible and ensure that it’s entertaining. With enough facts to soothe anxious, health-conscious individuals as well as some good tidbits to share, this enlightening collection offers every reader something new to learn and marvel over.” — Booklist

“Readers hoping for light laughs should enjoy this book.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher